Scars Will Heal in Time : Scars Will Heal with Tom
by The Unbreakable Snape Fan
Summary: The first part is a very dark Merton/OC song fic to The City Drive's "Defeated" with an abusive relationship. The second part is not a song fic. Eventually becomes Merton/Tommy. Warnings: RAPE.
1. Chapter 1

Scars Will Heal In Time

Merton Dingle sipped his coffee, staring out the window at the grey sky. He jumped when he heard the bedroom door open. Footsteps sounded. He slipped back into a more relaxed state, scared expression replaced by a neutral one.

Nathan's fingertips caressed Merton's pale cheek, and Merton leant into the touch slightly.

"Your coffee's on the stove, Nathan," Merton said.

"You're up early, huh?" Nathan took hold of the mug's handle, taking his seat at the table across from Merton in the spotless kitchen.

"I couldn't sleep." Merton shrugged with a shy smile. He hesitantly held out his hand. "Hey, can I see the—"

"Business section. Yeah." Nathan placed it in his hands. Merton sighed contentedly and began to read. It was a good morning.

Merton pushed himself up, taking his cup to the sink and rinsing it out before he tore the first page off of the magnetic notepad. "I'm going to the store today. Is there anything you'd like to add to the list?" He stood at Nathan's side until Nathan reached the end of his article.

"Let me see it," he said, leaning over to look at it. "Mm. Maybe a couple new razors."

Merton immediately went to the drawer near the sink to grab a pen, adding Nathan's suggestion to the list. "Okay." He folded the list precisely, carefully, and put it in his pocket.

Nathan stifled a yawn and went to the fridge to do a quick inventory. "Maybe orange juice." He ruffled Merton's hair. "I've got to head out. Have to get there early this week."

Merton nodded. After hurriedly adding orange juice underneath his last addition of razors, he re-pocketed the slip of paper, and then leaned in so Nathan could peck him on the lips. "Good luck with the new boss."

"Good luck with that scene," he said in reply. Then he left.

Merton slid a couple crumpled and still-damp tissues from his pocket and tossed them in the trash, a little disgusted with himself. On some nights he would fall into this depression he preferred not to think about.

**Add it up, all the times you've had enough  
Waterworks and endless, sleepless nights**

He scrubbed the untouched counters a little more before feeling up to the shopping trip. He put on his black coat and got into the hearse.

When he was getting some shredded cheese, he was startled to find a small body latch onto his leg. He looked down, calming himself just as he'd done earlier that morning. He gently peeled the boy off of him, picking him up.

"Where's that mom of yours, huh?" he asked, leaving his cart in the aisle as he searched. She was a couple aisles away, picking out some bread.

"Lose something?" Merton quipped.

Lori looked over, smiling. "Hey, Merton." She reached for her son. "Sorry about that. He's a handful. Which reminds me. Weren't you going to babysit for me sometime?"

"I thought it was Tommy's turn."

"Tommy's babysat like three times already, Merton."

"Yeah," Cole chimed in. "Your turn."

Merton ruffled his hair a little. "Okay, okay. How can I resist?"

"Great." She sat him down in the back of the cart. "Well, I'll bring him over Wednesday afternoon."

"Wait, bring him over? No."

"No?"

"I mean, he's, uh, _used_ to your house. And mine's not baby proof."

"I'm not a baby!"

"He's almost four. He'll be fine."

"Heh heh heh. Stay there for a minute," he said to Cole, pulling the boy's mother aside. "Lori, I can't have him messing anything up. It's crucial that the house stays absolutely spotless."

"Why?" she asked, a little suspicious.

"Oh...Well, we have company coming over."

"You're good at cleaning, and I'm sure Nathan would help you. And when are you going to have Tim and me over for dinner, huh?"

"How about never?"

"Merton! Is this about high school?" She put her hands on her hips and he knew he was in trouble.

"No. No, Lori, I swear it isn't. I'll have you over. It counts as two babysitting freebies, though. Then I'll be even with Tommy."

She thought about it for a minute, then agreed. "Okay, deal. I feel like I barely even know Nathan."

"Yeah, Tommy too. Maybe I'll kill two vampires with one stake."

"I think he'd like that. He's been kind of lonely, you know."

"I know. Poor guy."

"Yeah. I gotta get going before Cole gets restless. See you around, Merton."

"Bye, Lori."

She watched him head back out to the cheese aisle, a slight frown on her face. Merton seemed nervous anytime she talked about his place. It was kind of weird.

* * *

Truth was, Merton was nervous to let anyone get to know Nathan. They'd only been together for a couple months, but that had been enough for Becky. When the family met Nathan, she had asked him if he thought Nathan loved him, just one on one. He told her of course he did. She said she wasn't so sure. He told her she didn't know what she was talking about and to get out. She'd made up some excuse and kissed their parents goodbye.

He loved Becky, but sometimes she didn't understand things. She just didn't understand. Nathan was great for him.

**Hold it back. When the time comes to attack  
You'll be ready; They'll say "you were right"**

He just knew that, one day, Becky would see that Nathan _did_ love him. But until then, he didn't want anyone else to get close enough. Becky was so smart. Lori was smart too. Tommy he wasn't so worried about, to be honest.

**And they'll be coming back to see  
Everything that I've seen**

Because even though Nathan was a little...controlling, he could be great. He frequently bought Merton nice things without ever being asked. So it made him feel a little guilty sometimes. That was his fault, not Nathan's.

There was that time he was really sick, too, and Nathan had sat up with him, just holding him. He wasn't incapable of love or anything. He loved Merton!

**They're gonna get it. Got it? Go!**

**'Cause you're gonna show that you're gonna go  
All the way, all the way  
You've gotta take it if you wanna make it  
All the way, all the way  
You want it, you need it  
You won't be defeated  
No, you won't**

Well, most everyone else didn't matter that much. What was important was that Nathan knew Merton could take it. He'd been warned by an ex of Nathan's before—how cliché. He'd thought that sort of thing only happened in teen dramas.

He knew the ex was just upset over the break-up. He would have been too. Nathan just had high expectations, and Merton could meet those expectations. Most of the time.

There were times he didn't, though. But no one's perfect, not even the illustrious Merton J. Dingle.

He was a screw up when it came to romance. He knew that. And this whole boyfriend thing was still pretty new to him too.

**Can't you see it's in motion?**

But they were going places. They would be together for a long time. They had something special. Just because Becky didn't understand it and just because Nathan's ex was jealous didn't mean anything. In fact, both were probably indications they were doing something right!

**Offer blood and devotion  
Scars will heal in time**

Of course, sometimes he had his doubts. It was becoming increasingly hard to please Nathan. He'd forgotten what his body looked like when it was all perfectly pale. Now it was always a little discolored, somewhere. Hey, it was the price of love!

He was still learning. So the training method was a little harsh, he was learning, wasn't he? And Nathan was just as good at comforting as he was at getting his point across.

Well, sometimes he didn't even need a fist to put Merton in his place. Those were the times that really shook Merton up.

* * *

The dinner with Tommy and Lori and Tim went well, but Merton was too nervous to appreciate just how well it had gone until they were all gone.

"What did you think of them?" Merton asked in the dark of the room, pressed up against Nathan.

"They're okay." A shrug. "Go to sleep."

"I'll be right back," Merton promised. He slipped out of the bedroom and padded across the hallway to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

He touched his cheek lightly. It was still a little red from when Nathan had smacked him in front of Cole. To his knowledge, the boy had never told Lori. Otherwise, he was sure she would have said something. That was good, because it didn't mean anything.

It wasn't like there weren't aggressive guys all over the place. Heck, it was practically in the male code of conduct. He understood. Nathan liked the house clean, after all, and Cole had had his way with the kitchen and, well, an entire wall of the living room.

Merton had been holding ice to his cheek when Lori came in to pick up Cole, chuckling as he explained it was just an accident from when he and Cole had been playing outside. He'd tripped.

It wasn't until she was gone, thank god, that Nathan started yelling and started...punishing. Nathan wasn't stupid. Almost 4 or not, a kid was a kid. This was Merton's fault.

Merton had curled up on the ground, regretting his actions with each throb of his side. He had to force himself to get up and start scrubbing. He kept cleaning all night.

He rubbed at the mark on his cheek, feeling it twinge. There was something about some of the pain that had become therapeutic. It was a poetic thought, and a true one.

He slid his shirt off after carefully unbuttoning it, letting the silky material slide down his arms and onto the spotless white tile. He felt his side with a very ginger touch, frowning slightly. The bruisings required of him by Nathan in moments of mental lapse were anything but attractive.

Sometimes he hated Nathan for the things he did, for how unpredictable he was. At least his friends were none the wiser. They liked him, in fact. They seemed to like him!

Merton pulled away from the mirror slightly, staring at his own face again. Nathan didn't like his friends, though.

Nathan had never liked his friends. He'd been very jealous of them at first. Merton had stopped hanging around them all that much, contributing his lack of social availability to his old job as a writer for a TV program called Shallow Heights—which he thought was a good name, actually. It was a shallow show. But, hey, it was a start.

Of course, Shallow Heights had been canceled, and now he was looking to score a big break with, well, anything he'd written. He wasn't making money. He was indebted to his aggressive—intense, he reminded himself—boyfriend.

He had never felt so torn. On the one hand, he'd never felt so loved. On the other hand, he felt both unworthy and also like he was being...smothered.

He lifted the mirror from the wall above the sink. It was a small, oval mirror like he imagined the evil queen in Snow White might have used to find out who was the fairest. He sat down on the closed lid of the toilet, looking at himself.

He hated what he saw nowadays. It made him unaccountably angry. It made him want to break something. Nathan had beaten him to breaking himself.

He took the mirror into the kitchen and grabbed the manual can opener, whacking at the mirror until it cracked and chipped and the pieces glinted in the glaring light of the kitchen light fixture. He panted, breathing hard, dropping the can opener back onto the counter as they continued to shine, free.

An odd sense of calm washed over him as he looked at what he'd accomplished. He stared at the mess for a long time before finally starting to pick up the pieces. His fingers were getting cut as he threw the tiny shards away, but he just picked any lingering pieces out and washed his hands, heading back upstairs. He'd left the rest of the ruined mirror in its frame on the counter as he made his way back to the bedroom in the pitch dark. He didn't have the heart to pick it up just yet.

Nathan's arms felt good, his body solid behind Merton as he pulled him close. "What were you up to?"

Merton didn't answer, he just pressed back a little more, giving a contented sigh.

**Smashing glass  
Just to get past a cardiac **

The next morning, he regretted not having thrown the rest of the mirror away.

"Merton." Nathan shook him. "Merton, what is this?" He held up the mirror.

Merton blinked sleep from his eyes. "Oh. Yeah." It even sounded dumb to him, but he couldn't think of anything else to say that wasn't a lie. "Sorry," he added quietly.

"Unbelievable. You have absolutely no respect for my stuff."

**The harder that they come  
The harder they will be falling down**

"Nathan—"

"Get up." He gripped Merton's arm very tightly, yanking him up. Merton bit his lip on a sound of protest, gently attempting to pry the fingers from his bare arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Well, you will be."

"Nathan," he tried again.

He was hauled to his feet. "When you start bringing in money again, maybe we'll talk. But you owe me. Everything here belongs to me."

"I know," he sighed. "I know, I just got frustrated."

"Do you know how frustrating _you_ are?"

"Um...very?"

"Funny." He dropped the mirror onto the bed, some remaining shards trickling down onto the covers, and gave Merton a shove.

Merton cried out, clutching his aching side with one hand, the other carefully helping him back up into a half-seated position, rubbing his knee. His knee felt like it hadn't had a good meeting with the floor.

Nathan scoffed, grabbing the mirror again and throwing it at Merton. It caught him on the knee he had up, the one he seemed to have hurt. Now he _knew_ it was hurt. He stared down at the hardwood floor, waiting for Nathan to do something more.

Nathan started to walk off, and he made a noise of protest, getting up on his knees, gasping as he did. "No, wait!"

**Crawling back to see  
Down on shattered knee**

Nathan slammed the door to the bedroom. Merton raised himself to his good leg a little unsteadily and curled up on the bed in defeat.

* * *

Lori and Tim came to visit him that day, unannounced, and it was Tim who checked the bedroom. "Dingle?" He screwed his face up in a mixture of confusion and concern.

Merton sat up, sighing. "Oh, it's just you," he said. "Get me my shirt. It's on the ground."

Tim held out the shirt, taking in the sight of him. "He's not a good guy, Nathan, is he?"

"Yes he is," Merton said firmly.

Tim paused. "He's not," he added a little more quietly.

"I don't care what you think, as long as you don't tell Lori."

"I need to tell Lori."

"_Don't_." Merton got up defiantly, shakily, before collapsing. Tim rushed over, helping him up.

"You need help," he pointed out.

"It's not broken or anything. It's just...tender."

"He beats you up."

"Oh, like you used to?"

"You know this is different."

"Yeah," Merton said softly. "He does it because he loves me."

**They're gonna get it. Got it? Go!**

**'Cause you're gonna show that you're gonna go  
All the way, all the way  
You've gotta take it if you wanna make it  
All the way, all the way  
You want it, you need it  
You won't be defeated  
No, you won't**

Tim made a face. He helped Merton to the living room where Lori got on his case about not being more careful when he was walking around in the morning and why he wasn't dressed yet because it was past noon already.

"He's sick today, Lori." Tim handed Merton some Aspirin and a glass of water.

"I guess we'll just make plans for some other time, then, huh? 'Robo Jockey' is coming out Friday, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Sounds good. See you around."

"Well can't we stay just a little while?"

"He needs his rest," Tim said firmly. "I'm not catching whatever he has."

"Do you mean whatever made him sick or some other aspect of his Mertonosity?" she teased.

**All your life  
They cut you down to size  
Everything in time...**

"Ha ha. Later, Lori," he said, smiling a little when she pecked him on the cheek.

"Later, Merton."

"I'll be right out," Tim said to Lori, watching as she left.

Merton looked away.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I am smart."

"Yeah right. If you're with someone who hurts you, you don't stay with them. That's Common Sense 100."

"101."

"Whatever. You stay here and my son's not coming over anymore. Not with him around. I can't believe you let that dork anywhere near my son!"

"HE LOVES ME!" Merton shouted, and Tim stared at him.

"He'll kill you."

Merton gripped the glass in his hand more tightly as he listened to the sounds of Tim leaving.

**And what goes around  
Always comes around**

"Merton, we have to talk," Becky's voice sounded on the answering machine. "If even Tim knows, everyone knows."

**And what goes around  
Always comes around**

"Merton, let me in."

He sat still, motionless as Lori beat on the door. She finally resorted to picking the lock. She lifted up his dark shirt, biting her lip at what she saw. He looked away.

"Oh Merton..."

"Go away, Lori."

**And what goes around  
Always comes around**

"Is it true?" Tommy's voice asked.

Merton paused, not knowing if he should answer. Minutes passed like that.

"Merton?"

"I'm still here."

"Merton, talk to me."

Merton hung up.

**And what goes around  
Always comes around**

"Nathan?"

"You're not supposed to call me at work."

"We have to talk. I need to ask you about something."

"It can wait until I get home."

Merton heard Nathan hung up, but he didn't close his phone for a good while.

* * *

"What is it? How's the knee?"

"It's okay. Nathan...why do you treat me...like you treat me?" He sighed, leaning against the arm of the couch, closing his eyes. "Why do you...you know."

"It's not that weird. I mean, underneath it all, you know you're my Merton, right?" He sat next to him, pulling him closer.

"Yeah," Merton said, "Yeah, I know that. I don't know why I lost track of that. I'm sorry."

**You want it, you need it  
You won't be defeated  
No, you won't**

"It's okay." Lips that spoke lies pressed a kiss to a slightly-marked cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Scars Will Heal With Tom

It had been two days since any of his friends had called him up or made a house call, and he was starting to hope it was because they'd given up on trying to ruin things between him and Nathan. It was just going to take a little time, that was all, and they'd be back to being the happy couple they were. Or so he thought.

In all the time he'd been with Nathan, he'd always given into Nathan's desire, even if he wasn't really in the mood. But his side still hurt, and so did his knee, and he swallowed as Nathan peeled his silk pajamas off.

"Nathan, I don't really...I'm not..."

"You'll like it. You always like it," Nathan said, yanking Merton's shirt off the rest of the way.

"I'm still kind of sore," he said. "I'll suck you off if you want."

"That's not what I want. Not nearly as good." He finished stripping Merton, who was shivering a little by now.

"Nathan, I don't want to."

Nathan snorted, starting on his own boxers. "Look, I had a long day at work. I need to relax. Plus, you haven't made a buck in almost two months. How else do you think you can earn your keep?" He was teasing, the tone feigning a gentleness that he didn't have.

Merton laughed softly. "I'll suck you off twice. Hand job?"

The voice turned cold. "Merton, don't argue."

Merton sighed. "Nathan, really. I'm just not up to it."

Nathan reached over to grab the lube.

"Nathan," Merton said a little more firmly. "I said no."

"You haven't refused me even once. I can always get you to agree to it," he said with a little grin, covering his fingers in lube.

Merton squirmed toward the edge of the bed, freezing when Nathan's free hand gripped at his hip tightly.

"Look. I'm not asking. Turn over."

Merton trembled slightly for a good minute before rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.

Two fingers stroked over his entrance, and he bit his lip. "Really, can't we negotiate this or something?" he said, gingerly fingering his bruised side.

"What's _wrong_ with you?"

Besides the pain, Merton didn't really know for sure. Maybe what his friends were saying was getting to him. Maybe it was the thought of Nathan actually hitting Cole. He didn't know, but all he wanted at the moment was to go to sleep. He pushed Nathan's hand away and stood, leaning on his good leg.

Nathan's hands both shot out, grasping him around the waist, pulling him back onto the bed hard. Merton's eyes widened and he gulped.

"Don't," he whispered.

Nathan snorted again, pressing Merton onto his back, leisurely punching him in the stomach, winding him.

Merton gasped for breath as Nathan's fingers found his hole, stretching him pretty decently by the time he caught his breath, scowling up at Nathan. "What's wrong with_you_?" he countered breathlessly, trying to pull away again. Nathan pinched his bruised side, drawing a sharp sound from him.

"Are you going to stop being an idiot?" Nathan asked calmly, actually smiling a little.

Merton's confused expression deepened. Nathan turned him onto his front, making him gasp. "Nn, my knee," he whispered.

"Shh," he said, almost soothingly. He hiked the hips up, positioning himself, pressing in.

Merton closed his eyes tightly as he concentrated on just breathing. His knee ached and his backside wasn't doing a whole lot better, to be honest. Nathan felt like a raging fire being poked into his body. He tried to relax and make it better.

When Nathan finally finished, he rolled off and fell asleep. Merton rolled off of his knee, onto his good side, expression deeply troubled.

* * *

He sat in the hot tub with his cell phone on the lip, staring at it. His few tears had long since dried on his face and neck, and he sighed as he made his decision.

"Lori?"

"It's almost two in the morning, Merton." There was no blame in the tone. It was merely a statement.

"Yes. Yes, it is."

There was a pause. "Did something happen?"

"I...I think I may need some time away from Nathan, for now," he said, voice shaking slightly.

"That might be smart."

"Yeah."

"You can stay with us. Don't worry."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Do you need help getting here?"

"I...yeah. Probably."

"I'll be right over."

Lori waited for him to finish in the tub, watching as he limped out to her. She wrapped her arms around him despite the fact he was only in a towel. She helped him back into the bedroom as he looked around for clothes. She turned away, and, really, at that point he didn't care how much of him Lori saw. He was shamed and frightened and felt like he might never feel like having sex again.

Lori grabbed some changes of clothes for him and led him to the car. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window obscured by rain.

Lori showed him to the guest bedroom and got him some Aspirin, surprising him when she slid into the bed too. She slept next to him like that. He wished she would put her arms around him and hold him close, but he would never be able to ask for that, not now. He wondered how mad Nathan would be, wishing he had left a note explaining he was taking a break. Too late for that.

He decided he'd call him the next morning. But he never did. He wasn't sure he could handle listening to Nathan's voice just yet. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go back to Nathan's.

"Hey, Dingle."

Merton blinked his eyes as he awoke, turning to the door. "You're welcome here, for however long."

He nodded. "Thanks, Tim."

* * *

"Were you in bed all day?" Lori asked, eyebrow raised.

"No." There was a small silence in which Lori continued to look disbelieving. "Okay, yes."

"Did you at least eat something?"

"Lori, I don't feel like it. I don't feel like doing anything."

"Will you at least talk about it? What if I brought Tommy over."

Merton sat up suddenly. "No. No, Lori, you can't. Leave Tommy out of this. Don't tell him _anything_."

"Okay...but you know I probably should."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But you won't."

"I won't," she promised. She came over to his side of the bed, helping him up. She led him to the kitchen and she and Tim cooked together.

"Hi, Uncle Merton," Cole said, smiling.

"Hey, Cole." Merton squirmed uncomfortably on the wooden chair until Lori grabbed him a cushion from the couch and sat it under him. "Thanks."

* * *

"Becky?"

"Hey," Lori said with a shrug, "you just said I couldn't tell Tommy."

Becky took in the sight of Merton. "I'm not gonna say 'I told you so,'" she said gently. She sat next to him on the bed, burying her face in his cheek. Lori left them alone. She kissed the pale skin, holding him. He melted into the embrace.

"So now you see him for what he is?"

"I don't know. I just feel...hollow."

"You're not hollow, freaker." She pressed more kisses to his face, to his messy hair, laying him back down onto the bed, curling around him. "You're the same as you always were. Don't let him win."

"What if I'm being stupid?" He squirmed a little at the thoughts he was having. "What if I should apologize and go back? Maybe I'm throwing my life away."

"What 'life'? You were in hell, Merton."

"It wasn't so bad," he said firmly.

"It was," she said even more firmly. "Take off your shirt if it wasn't so bad." She sat up on her side, giving him a challenging look.

"I don't have to prove anything to you!"

"Yes you do. You like logical reasoning, right? So prove to me, logically, that living with Nathan was the best life for you."

"I can't do this," he said, turning away.

"Shhh. Freaker, shh." She curled around him again. "It's okay. Look, even if you won't admit it, you know he's no good for you. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, ones that aren't sharks. Wait, are sharks fish? Or are they mammals?"

"Fish," he sighed.

"You know what I mean." Merton took a good look at his sister, turning back around. With her hair fanned out over both of them, her clothes all rumpled from the bed, he felt 5 years old again, just hanging out with his baby sister. "God, I love you, Becky," he said, returning the embrace, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"You never listen to me," she pointed out, lip quirking slightly.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, pulling her close.

"It's okay, Merton. Look, I'm going to bring you to somewhere I think you'll do the best, and I don't want to hear any protest."

"No, no protest," he said, nuzzling the side of her face.

* * *

"No." He crossed his arms.

"Who better to see your weaknesses?"

"It's not like when we were kids! He's the last person I want to see me like this. Turn around before he comes out of the—hi, Tommy." He sighed.

"Hey, Merton, Beckster. So you want me to come and help you get your stuff, Merton?" he asked, big eyes pleading beneath the cheerful words, wanting to help his best friend out.

Merton nodded after a moment. That didn't have the words, "stay here with me until you feel normal again" in it anywhere, if he wasn't mistaken. So it was just Becky's _plan_.

"Anything for you, Merton." He got into his truck and followed Becky to Nathan's. Nathan would still be at work, so Merton unlocked the door for Tommy and hesitated to follow him in.

"Freaker," Becky said, giving him a gentle push. "Come on."

Merton directed Tommy in collecting all of his stuff. Most of the stuff he'd had up in the lair was still in boxes down in the basement, unopened since Tommy had helped him move in.

"Guess he didn't like your style, man," Tommy joked, bringing everything back to the truck in record time due to super speed and strength.

They were about to head out when Merton started throwing the cushions off of the chairs and the couch, messing up the magazines, de-organizing the refrigerator, de-alphabetizing the CDs. He was like a tornado of clutter moving through the house, only satisfied when he'd messed up every room. Then he laughed, softly.

Becky squeezed his hand, pulling him back toward the front. "It's time to go, Merton."

"It's definitely time to go," he agreed.

* * *

Becky explained to Tommy why she thought he'd be good for Merton's "healing process" as he sat in the hearse and pretended not to be listening.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tommy wasn't acting any different from normal. Maybe it would be okay. He kissed Becky goodbye and watched her take the hearse back to Lori and Tim's, where her car was still parked. He belatedly realized that meant he couldn't make a quick getaway.

"Do we need to take you to a doctor or something?"

"What?"

"Your knee. And, you know, check out anything else too."

"That's probably not a bad idea."

"I'll go with you."

"Don't."

Tommy's face fell and he sighed. "Alright, I'll wait in the waiting room."

"Good."

* * *

"It's a _sandwich_ Merton. There's nothing threatening about that."

Merton was still making a face at it.

"As long as you're in _my_ apartment, you're eating dinner." His voice softened. "You know I just want you to be okay again."

"If I'm ever okay again." He picked up the sandwich and started to eat.

"You will be. You can bounce back from anything, Merton. I know it," Tommy said a little excitedly. "And being here will be just like back in college, only without all the fighting over girls."

He smiled a little at that. Yeah, Tommy was gay and he was mostly gay, so now it would be an entirely different story. "Of course, if there are some hot young men anywhere, we might have a problem." He grinned at his friend.

Tommy smiled slightly, but he also looked a little preoccupied. Merton wondered if he'd said something wrong, but decided to ignore it. It was just Tommy. He could do that around Tommy. Tommy wasn't, you know...Nathan or anything.

"Lori got to see your bruises. Can I see?" Tommy finally said.

"Mm? Yeah, sure." He lifted his shirt over his head, going back to eating his sandwich as Tommy let out a whistle and walked over to get a better look.

"I guess he was a pretty strong guy."

"You could've taken him, big guy."

"Yeah, because I'm a werewolf," he teased. He traced a hand over the dark bruising. "I wish you would have told me about all this. I feel so out of the loop. I started to feel like you didn't want to even be friends anymore."

"No!" Merton said quickly, turning to look at him over his shoulder. "No, Tommy, Nathan just didn't like the idea of me being friends with you two. Or with anyone."

"You don't have to talk about him anymore if you don't want to, but what made you want to leave, if he'd been doing that for so long?"

Merton grew a little shuttered looking down at his half-eaten sandwich.

Tommy sat back down across from him. "Merton?"

Merton looked up to meet his gaze. "I guess...he had sex with me, even though I told him no."

They were both silent for a while, and Merton went back to eating.

"I'm sorry. Man, that guy sucked!"

Merton nodded enthusiastically. "You can say that again," he said with his mouth full.

As Tommy was clearing the dishes, he said, "Alright, I've got stuff to make the couch bed. That'll be good, right?"

Merton chewed at his tongue in thought before finally answering. "Tommy, I want to sleep with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Like I said, you can take him, right?" He smiled.

"Definitely." Tommy flexed, grinning. "Alright, but beware of wolf hair.

"Home sweet home," he said with a chuckle.

* * *

They both got ready for bed and Merton tugged at Tommy's shirt in a silent gesture asking for Tommy's protecting hold through the night, which Tommy gladly gave.

"You don't have to feel alone anymore, Merton," he promised him. "You can even move back in with me if you want."

"Like the good old days."

"Like the good old days." He kissed Merton's forehead. "You're my best friend. That can't ever change."

"Ditto."

* * *

They settled into a pattern. Merton actually gained back the creativity Nathan's house had seemed to suck out of him and Tommy didn't have to come back home to an empty apartment, something he hated doing.

"Hey Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you've never really dated any guys? I thought you hated being alone."

"I do. But sometimes being alone is better than being with someone who isn't...you know, the one."

"'The one'?"

"Yeah. I don't know, maybe my expectations are too high." He looked Merton over for a quiet moment. "They probably are."

"Why, what do they include?" he teased. "Athletic, a millionaire, 3 kids already, must love Jackie Chan and werewolves?"

"Well, maybe just the werewolf thing," he said. "No," he said, getting a little more serious, "I guess there's just one specific guy I've been thinking of. I guess I have to move on, just like you do."

"NFL star, huh?"

Tommy blinked. "Nope, didn't even know he knew what the NFL was."

"Tommy, _everybody_ knows what the—wait, is it me?"

"Maybe," he admitted, ducking his head a little.

"Wow." Merton didn't know what to say.

"Don't get weird about it."

"No. No, I wouldn't. I'm just surprised."

"You shouldn't be. You're a real catch, you know?"

"Not like you are."

Tommy shook his head. "You think what you want," he said lightly, "and I'll think what I want."

Merton pushed himself up. "Tommy, do you mean it?" he was trembling slightly.

Tommy held him securely around the waist. "I wouldn't joke about something like that," he said simply. "I think I've had a thing for you just about since we met."

Merton felt like he was going to pass out, but held onto consciousness. "Since we _met?_ Tommy, that was years ago."

"Yeah, thanks, I can count." He ruffled Merton's hair a little. "You're special to me, you know?"

"H-how much do you like me?"

"I'm not going to be your rebound guy, Merton."

"I'm way past rebound. I'm a mess," Merton said. "I understand. I'm such a fucking mess. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever got with Nathan. If I would have known you liked me..."

"You didn't know, though. It's not your fault I was too scared to tell you."

"And now I'm ruined. Spoiled goods." Merton looked like he might cry, so Tommy pulled him close.

"What are you even talking about?"

Merton made a soft sort of a sobbing sound. "I'm not whole anymore. I'm more insane than I ever was. I'm all black and blue. Hell, I'm not even a virgin anymore. I'm sorry. I wish I'd belonged to you. You would have kept me safer than I did." He nuzzled Tommy's chest.

"Don't be stupid. It doesn't suit you," Tommy whispered soothingly. "If I would have spoken up sooner, maybe we could have been together. I don't think I'm your type, though."

Merton pulled back, staring up at Tommy in disbelief, the trail of a tear glistening on his cheek. "You're everyone's type. Strong and...and gentle. Occasionally even wise. Handsome. And on top of all that, a werewolf. A _good_ werewolf. Tommy, there's no way that's not my type."

Tommy looked pretty shocked. Merton took the initiative. "If you still like me...even a little...maybe we could—"

Tommy's lips were pressed against his briefly and he cradled his body against his stronger one. "We could," he promised. "We definitely could. We'll go on dates, and, and, you know, whatever it is boyfriends do."

"I'll teach you," Merton promised. "You know, except the abusive part." He chuckled, and it made Tommy chuckle too.


End file.
